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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

There’s nothing more unique than a fingerprint and nothing more special than preserving a child’s tiny fingers and hands for posterity. Mom will love and cherish these adorable cards made by little hands.By: Amanda Formaro What you'll need:

For smaller cards, cut construction paper in half. For larger cards, leave as is. Fold construction paper in half to create a card.

Flower Card

1. Use acrylic craft paints to paint a child’s pointing finger. Use this for the center dot of each flower. We used pink, blue and purple for our centers. 2. To make the petals, paint the thumb first, apply it to the paper. Next paint the pointing finger and apply it to the paper. Repeat this process for each finger so that there is a different finger for each petal. Repeat for each flower 3. Use a small paint brush to add the stem, then use child’s thumb to create the leaves.

Heart card

1. To make the heart card, begin by very lightly drawing a simple heart onto the construction paper. 2. Next, squirt out some paint onto newspaper or paper plate. Have child dip the tips of their fingers into the paint and press onto construction paper following the heart shape. Use a contrasting color to fill in the heart. 3. Use crayon or marker to write “Happy Mother’s Day” on the card.

Love card

1. For the “love” card, have child hold their right hand in the shape of an “L”. Be sure it is their right hand and not the left. Paint the “L” shape portion of their hand and help them to press it onto the paper. 2. Have the child make an “O” shape with their hand, paint it, then press to the paper. 3. Paint the child’s pointing and middle finger for the “V” and press onto the paper. 4. Using the child’s pointing finger, paint then press to the paper for the long side of the “E”. Paint the top part of their pointing finger to add the horizontal lines of the “E”. 5. Use a crayon or marker to write “Mom is” above the word “Love”.

Tips:

* Have a damp washcloth handy to wipe off excess paint from child’s hands when changing colors. When finished with this project, have child wash hands with soap and water. * Get creative and use whatever colors you like. Just remember to use colors that contrast with your construction paper to be sure it shows up well. * You may want to have the child write their personal message inside the card before starting the paint process. It can be done afterward, but if done before there’s no risk of accidentally messing up these cute creations.